1E plans new edition of server power manager by mid-July

Power management software developer 1E is about to ship an updated version of NightWatchman Server Edition that includes extra accommodations for the needs of virtualized environments. 1E is a close development partner of both VMware and Microsoft.

The company's pitch is that its software helps IT organizations manage server power usage in the context of useful work.

In other words, if there is a really good reason that the system should be placed in Drowsy Server mode (since it might be needed quickly) vs. powered down in a more extreme way. The server software includes a central reporting dashboard that checks whether a virtual host is being used inefficiently or if there is power being wasted because of inefficient workloads. It also supports multiple operating server operating systems including Windows, Solaris, and multiple versions of Linux (SUSE, Red Hat and Ubuntu).

Andy Hawkins, product manager for 1E, says the data produced by NightWatchman Server edition can be "consumed" by traditional systems management tools. 1E offers a subscription model or a perpetual license model, but Hawkins declined to provide specific pricing.

For resources, you might want to check out this report about server energy and efficiency, which 1E produced in conjunction with Alliance to Save Energy. The company has also created several case studies about companies using the 1E power management technology.